This gallery contains 27 photos.
Amoy’s links to Singapore (and the Nanyang 南洋 Region) extend beyond cultural ties of the Hokkien peoples that populate both islands today to specific members of the Overseas Chinese community. And one of the most important members of this community was … Continue reading
This gallery contains 32 photos.
Across the narrow straits from Gulangyu Island sits Old Amoy – the Chinese settlement, and the commercial heart of the former colony. Here’s where the city’s major banks, trading and merchant houses were situated. Here it was that tea, rice, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 37 photos.
When it comes to poster-boys for colonial architecture in Mainland China, two places come to mind. The first is, naturally, Shanghai and the iconic Shanghai Bund (which features next month). The second, which may come as a bit of a surprise … Continue reading
This gallery contains 9 photos.
Xiamen was a very familiar city. I felt a 親切感– a strong sense of warmth and belonging – upon arriving into the city centre. This despite the fact that I had never been to the city before. Perhaps I should … Continue reading
This gallery contains 10 photos.
In Canton, I stayed at the Guangdong Victory Hotel, which, at first glance, doesn’t look in the least like it has any history at all – so thoroughly have the Chinese plastered over what used to stand here with the veneer … Continue reading
This gallery contains 37 photos.
Most visitors to Guangzhou today don’t come for the history, heritage or architecture. They come for business, trade, industry, commerce. History, heritage and architecture are the last things on their mind. Which is perfectly in keeping, ironically, with Guangzhou’s heritage as … Continue reading
This gallery contains 34 photos.
After the Thirteen Factories were razed to the ground in 1856, and Canton occupied by British forces in the aftermath of the Second Opium War, another site had to be identified for the reconstruction of the new foreign settlement. This … Continue reading
This gallery contains 7 photos.
Of all the port cities on the Grand Tour, Canton – situated at a strategic location on the Pearl River – is by far the greatest and the most ancient, having been mentioned as a major port since the Tang … Continue reading
This gallery contains 13 photos.
Not having been able to reside at the (former) Bela Vista Hotel, I went for the next best option, which was the Pousada de São Tiago – a luxury boutique hotel occupying a 17th century Fort at the very tip … Continue reading
This gallery contains 9 photos.
One of the greatest legends in Macau’s history and hospitality scene is that of the former Bela Vista Hotel – the inimitable Grande Dame of the colony, handed back to the Portuguese in 1999 and presently the Residence of the … Continue reading
Dream Of A City 